Plantar Faciaitis?????

nhendri · January 2012

The arch is falling or collapsing......
Has anyone had this or have this???????? Please help if you have this or have had it tell me what you did to get over it or get through your workout. I have not been working out like I used to (I want to!!!) and its because I fear that I will be in the same pain I was in last spring. Last spring I pushed past the pain and continued with my workouts and I ended up in so much pain I struggled to walk the rest of the day which is not good because I move alot at work!! I am considering a recumbanent bike because it was suggested to me that it does not affect the arch of the foot. Does anyone know if this is true? Iv been stretching it alot and I even wear a theraputic boot on the evenings it really bothers me but its not getting better. I went to physical therapy several times but they just had me walk around the room and rub it than stretch which was not helping, I quite because of money and lack of change. Please anyone who has had it or know alot about it HELP!!!

brendabuckeye · January 2012

I tore my medial plantar fascia back in March. That has now healed, but in the meantime, steroid injections have ruined my foot and I now have plantar fasciitis and tarsal tunnel syndrome (yay). I have been able to keep the plantar fasciitis at bay by wearing a sleeping boot at night. It keeps my foot at a 90 degree angle and stretches the calf muscles.

Also, I do stretches on the stairs every chance I get. Just stand on the stairs holding the handrail, scoot back a little so you can drop both heels down and hold that for 10 seconds. Repeat that 10 times if you can 3 times a day (I try to do this stretch at least once every time I go up a set of stairs which is a lot in my house). You should feel it in your calf muscles. If your calf muscles are stretched out, that will keep your arch from being as stressed and take some tension off of the plantar fascia.

Once you feel pain from the plantar fasciitis, STOP! You may have to baby your foot for awhile to get things stretched back out. Try freezing a 20 oz. soda bottle full of water and roll it under your arch and heel when you have pushed it too far. I had to stick to swimming for months, and even now I am still having trouble. I do NOT recommend steriod injections as they can damage the tissue in ways they never told me about and it can't be fixed in my case.

Feel free to friend me and let me know how it goes. It is not a fun thing, but with great care, you can beat it!

brittbergh · January 2012

Its more common than you would think. First get some proper shoes or inserts. I happen to love super feet inserts, but thats me!
Next massage from the top of your calf muscle down into the bottom of your foot. The muscle that is causing the pain in the foot is connected to the calf muscle so massaging it all out really helps I have found!

Its not much but it works wonders! Hope you feel better soon

applebobbrush · January 2012

I had to do deal with that last year. My doctor had me try rolling a can under my foot immediately after working out. You take off your shoes and socks and while sitting down put pressure on the can with your foot and just roll it back and forth. It really helped stretch that out. I would try that stretch and keep wearing your boot at night. It's a huge pain and makes working out so hard, I hope yours gets better really quick.

Sianarella · January 2012

I do, the can rolling trick really works as does keeping it warm - NO ICE PACKS! Pain killer gel on it is fantastic but don't over work it.

JennBunny73 · January 2012

The injections usually work for me, but the last one didn't and I started doing the tricks they have all mentioned...the rolling trick works good and so does rubbing your calf muscle down. Another thing that really helped is to stretch it on stairs..Put your foot like in the center on the arch and stretch it one direction...like lift your heel up then opposite heel down and lift your toes.

2011_4mygirls · January 2012

I had this back in 2007/2008 andI thought that it was NEVER going to go away! I did one steriod injection and that hurt like HE**! I also did the night splints (most of the time they never made it all night, but they did help) I froze a bottle of water and rolled my foot on that 3-5 times per day. Air walk cast were uncomfortable, but they helped too. The recumbent bike will be great for you - take the time to stretch before and after (I just extend my legs on the peddles and you can really feel the stretch)

Don't over do it my friend - you need to listen to your body. It really well get better if you do the things above! I still have pain in mine once in a while, but nothing like it use to be!

sophjakesmom · January 2012

There are a lot of good suggestions here, but I will add one important one. DO NOT TRY TO JUST WORK THROUGH THE PAIN! I did that for 9 months and woke op one morning with a stress fracture on the top of my foot because I had changed my gait enough that it caused stress else where. The bad news was I was in a boot for 6 weeks until the bone healed. The good news was the boot (holding my foot in a flexed position) actually cured both the stress fracture and the plantar faciaitis. Now I do run pain free.

Good luck to you!!!!:flowerforyou:

klwells08 · January 2012

I'm dealing with this currently and have been for the past year. I have had two cortisone injections, with no relief. I do all of the typical stuff, sleep with a boot, strech constantly, etc. I just ordered custom orthodics from my podiatrist in an attempt to put this issue to rest. The thing that helps me the most is yoga, every day. The streching from down dog and plank seem to provide the longest lasting relief for me.

TMLPatrick · January 2012

I had this, and it was very painful... The only things that helped me was using like a small rubber ball to massage the bottom of my foot... and stop exercising for about a week for it to clear up.... but it went away and now I'm fine...

jdawg1105 · January 2012

For me it was the frozen water bottle and also rolling a golf ball with the bottom of your foot. For workouts I would use inserts and also tape around my foot to keep the arch pulled up.

Sarah4825 · January 2012

I have what I call a "super arch" and I found Orthaheel shoes that have a really high arch to help support my feet. I also wear Saucony shoes with a pronate bar (arch support) for my workouts. Hope this helps.

sambustem · January 2012

I have it as well. I've been suffering for a year and a half - mine started when I was 6 months pregnant. I thought it was because I was so swollen and gained so much so fast, but it turned out to be a real problem! I have a really high arch also, which, from what I learned from a podiatrist, all results in plantar faciaitis, and the bad ankles I have. I'm trying stretching and medication. I'm supposed to let my Dr know which works better and then he's going to expand on that treatment. I do know its extremely painful and feel for you!!! Hopefully you can get relief soon!!!

PlunderBunneh · January 2012

I take it easy when it hurts. Switch back to low-impact for a week and usually that helps a bunch. Make sure to stretch, too. This is going to sound silly, but the biggest problem I have with mine is curling that leg under me and sitting on my foot while I'm working on the computer. I wasn't paying attention and sat that way for a couple of hours yesterday, and by the end of the day my heel felt like crushed glass. Once it's in pain, the best thing to do is try either heat or cold, do some stretches, and just stay the heck off of it.

Mveler · January 2012

I suffer from this in both feet. I got the shots back in 09 and they worked brilliantly however, with no health insurance, no additional shots as they are 300.00 per foot here! I do the same as mentioned and also I have found the flexes before you get out of bed in the morning to help a lot. Spending 5 minutes flexing saves me hours of boohooing later. I feel your pain! Literally

ctaylor1977 · January 2012

I too have had it. I am a high school football coach. It made my life miserable. I worked with our team trainer. He had me do a few stretches, but nothing helped. I run 25-30 miles a week. A friend advised me to try new shoes. I must have found the perfect shoe for my foot, and I have not had the problem. My suggestion would be to find the shoe that fits your foot. Go to a store that specialize in running shoes. They will have a machine that will help you.

dfborders · January 2012

I ruptured my plantar facia and was put on crutches for a week and in a boot for 4-5 weeks - which helped a lot. I also learned very quickly to stretch, stretch & stretch some more. If it starts to bother me I gently massage it and elevate. I am also very careful with what type of shoes I wear - if I am going out for the day and walking around - no flip flops - good walking shoes with some support. I usually don't walk around bare foot anymore (I used to all the time) and if it is cold I definitely don't walk barefoot on the cold tile floors. Good Luck and whatever you do - if it hurts don't push too hard.

khk2010 · January 2012

I had it for a long time. I thought it would never go away. I got doctor prescribed and fit Orthotics and wore them all the time in athletic shoes. Stopped going barefoot and wearing flip flops. Stopped walking which aggravated it. It was a real drag. But with all the babying it started getting better. Didn't do the boot but did a lot of stretching. The worst part for me was being unable to walk which was my main exercise. I did things like hand weights and floor exercise but did gain weight over this time period.

I started weaning myself off the Orthotics a bit at a time. I think it took around 3-4 years to get over it. I also have very high arches and still watch what kind of shoes I wear and if I am going to be walking excessively I'll use the inserts as a preventive.

Best of luck. I think you will get better but it may take some time.

kshall11 · January 2012

The bad news - if you have extremely high arches like I do, it never completely goes away. I was diagnosed while in Basic Training over 20 years ago. Of course they were telling me to work through the pain and I ended up with six (yes - 6) stress fractures (both feet, both ankles and both knees). They said if I hadn't been checked out when I was, it would have spread to my hips. I was walking funky on crutches for a while. So, if you have pain - STOP! If you aren't aware, stress fractures are breaks that start inside the bone (where all the nerves are) and works it's way out. If you do not stop, you do end up with a complete break and all the fun associated. Everything mentioned above does work. I either use Power Step inserts or the Dr. Scholl's inserts from the new machine you stand on. They are $50/pair, but no pain is a wonderful thing. Ibuprofen (Motrin) works better than acetaminophen (Tylenol) as it's an anti-inflammatory. Stretching is a huge part of it. My calves are rock hard unless I work on them every night. Water aerobics is also a good substitute. The water is giving you the resistance, but your feet don't have the impact. Good luck!

nhendri · January 2012

Thank you all for you post!!!!!!! I am sorry you all have this or had it but am thankful that you shared your experience with me. I am definatly not stretching enough.

Tigermomma66 · January 2012

Hi - I just wanted to add a couple of things. My arch is super-high as well (and my mother used to tell me I had flat feet! :huh:).

I went to a podiatrist, and he suggested several things. One was a series of little exercises including rolling a can or tennis ball beneath my foot at night. He also suggested icing it, so rolling it on an ice bottle seems a nice blend of both of those. That helps.

He also showed me how to tape it, so I can do that at night. I also can wear that if I don't have my inserts. For inserts, he sent me to a running store. We have one locally where all the employees are long-distance runners (professional for some of them - they travel to various races around the world and only work part-time). They will have you stand with both shoes off, then they have you walk up and down a path in the store watching your gait. From there, they told me the three best shoes (and the number one tip: never, never, never buy shoes based on look - all athletic shoes are built differently and are best for different reasons so buy them according to intended use and problem solving NOT look). I ended up getting a Saucony (can't recall style) and SuperFeet inserts. It's amazing how much it helps!

I also watch how much I stand and walk. Too much and I can end up in pain and having to baby it. I also have to watch which exercises I do - for instance, sometime it hurts if I do the elliptical too long. I will end up changing my stance due to challenging the muscles, which then aggravates the foot.

When I can, I prop it up in the evening. I also stretch it in the morning before I get up. Your calf and sole will contract during sleep, so my doctor told me to stretch and then get up carefully in the morning (or anytime after lying down). If you don't have a boot that is a good tip - I just do a calf raise flat on my back in bed. Just pointing toes and relaxing. I also flex them back and relax. After a few time, I don't have as much problem getting up and moving about.

Hope all that helps.

Plantar Faciaitis?????

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